Hey Crocheters, it’s Michelle! 👋 

Granny Square Day is this Friday. I absolutely LOVE granny squares! 😍 There's endless variations, colors, patterns, and designs they always make me so HAPPY just to look at them! Not to mention, they're having quite the moment in the crochet world appearing in bags, sweaters, and even hats.

As much as I love granny squares, actual granny square projects are difficult for me to complete. After about six squares of the same pattern, my ADD kicks in and I quickly lose interest in the squares and don’t even get me started on the joining! I have little bags full of odd granny squares I’ve accumulated over the years all over the place.

In today’s YARN OVER HOOK section, I’m featuring some fantastic links on Granny Square including links to different joining methods and other granny square resources for crocheters of all levels.

I hope you enjoy reading today’s issue of Crochet Current. Follow us on Facebook and please refer a friend…and send me pictures of your granny square projects!

In this week’s e-mail:

• Granny squares

• More granny squares

• Granny square quiz

• and more…(granny squares!)

YARN OVER HOOK

My Weekly Favorite Finds

🟨 Granny Square Day is August 15

• Granny Square Month - try a different granny design for every day (UndergroundCrafter)

• 15 Must Try Granny Square Patterns - A mix of classics and unexpected designs to inspire your next project (ICanCrochetThat)

• Granny Squares for Beginners - Master the basics with easy-to-follow guides and simple patterns (Oneindia)

• 365 Granny Squares - an entire year’s worth of designs guaranteed to keep you busy! (YarnUTopia)

• 5 ways to join granny squares - From invisible joins to decorative seams, find the perfect finish for your project. (LucyKateCrochet)

• Granny Square Card Deck - Mix and Match your creativity with this fun pattern deck.(Amazon)

💰 Starting a Crochet Business

• The Secret to making money from your crochet business - Explore practical ways to earn an income doing what you love. (CrochetBusinessSchool)

⭕ Granny Square Crochet Along

• How else would we celebrate Granny Square Day, but with a G. Sq. CAL? (BlackstoneDesigns)

 🧡 Featured Crochet Charity

• A South African Charity, Knit-a-Square, accepts 8” crochet squares (despite its name) to make blankets for children in need. It has distributed over 90,000 blankets made from just squares! (Knit-a-Square)

LOOPED IN

Granny Square Quiz

It was a slow crochet news week so instead of the Crochet News segment I normally do, here is a quiz to honor Granny Square Day on August 15.

Prove you’re an expert by taking my 10-question quiz - see if you can score 100%!

STITCH BY STITCH

🧶 Where did the Granny Square Come From?

The granny square can trace its origins to the late 19th century in the United States.

The first widely recognized pattern wasn’t even published in a home magazine!

It was published in a farming magazine! In the April 5, 1885 edition of Prairie Farmer Magazine, printed a pattern by Mrs. Phelps. They didn’t even print her first name!

Inspired by the crazy quilting trend of the era, she called it a “crazy Afghan” and what was unusual about it is that up until that time, crochet was done with thread to create lacy patterns.

Her pattern called for worsted weight wool and bold color combinations, which was innovative for the time and two double crochets instead of the three most often in use today.

The term "granny square" came much later.

During the 1930s, the first known usage of the term "granny afghan" was seen in print but the earliest use of the term “granny square” found to date was in the November 24, 1953, edition of The Daily Times-News from Burlington, North Carolina.

Some say the squares became associated with resourcefulness, as grandmothers often made them using leftover yarn scraps to create practical, colorful blankets.

👉 What your favorite granny square pattern? Post them on Facebook or Instagram with #CrochetCurrent so we can see them!

IN STITCHES

WEAVING IN THE ENDS

Thanks for reading and I hope you learned something about granny squares this week!

Look for Crochet Current again next Sunday for more crochet-y goodness,

—Michelle 🧡

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